


It has a ring of truth to it

by Basilintime



Series: Prompts [7]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pre-Uprising, Tumblr Prompt, post 1st movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 05:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16034069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basilintime/pseuds/Basilintime
Summary: Hermann finds a ring months after Newton left the PPDC and him behind with hardly any explanation. He confronts Newt about it but doesn't get much in the way of answers.





	It has a ring of truth to it

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt from an Anon on tumblr asking for something about Hermann finding a ring after Newton leaves. This one is dedicated to that wonderful Anon.

              He didn’t know why he had agreed to do this. Well, that was a lie. Hermann knew perfectly well he had agreed because it was Newton who had asked. So, despite the fact that Newton had left months ago without taking half his things and without any real explanation Hermann was now going through the items left behind. Newton had told him not to take too much time with it. His exact words in his email were ‘throw most of it out but pack up any research notebooks left and send them to me’.

              It seemed like such a waste now that he was faced with it though. The majority of the items had been shoved into a storage closet to make room for the new equipment moving in now that the PPDC was being funded once more. He was sitting in the middle of it now carefully sorting through it. He couldn’t bring himself to simply toss it without seeing what was left. So much of it seemed so vital to who Newton was…well, who Newton had been. He had two boxes next to him; one that was empty still for Newton’s research and one that had a stack of kaiju figurines, old movies and a few band shirts that Hermann had decided he would hold on to. Just in case someday Newton got old of his newfound persona that had arrived with his success and wanted to return to his old self. Wanted to return to Hermann.

              He was shifting through some smaller trinkets; pins that Newton had once attached to his jackets and stickers he’d somehow resisted plastering onto some surface or another around him. Hermann frowned as he found something larger in the bottom of the cloth bag that Newton had kept his extra pins in and he fished out the small box with a touch of confusion.

              It took him a few seconds as he looked down at the small black box to realized what it was. He set the bag aside as he took a deep breath that suddenly felt painful in his chest. He popped the ring box open to find the band inside it with a folded up note that seemed to have been folded and unfolded many times. He carefully lifted the ring out of the case and turned it to read the inscription inside. He felt the tears well up in his eyes and cling to his lashes as he slipped it onto his finger hiding the words away.

_Always yours; No lies, Only Promises_

              He picked the piece of paper up out of the box and carefully unfurled it slightly worried it would fall apart. It was worn and thin along the creases and there was a simple list written on its pages. He glanced up towards the door when he thought he heard someone and could hear voices as people passed by the lab door the was still standing open out to the hall. There was no indication that they had come into the lab; no sign they were looking for him and he looked back down at the paper.

  * _Make reservations_
  * _Get Flowers_
  * _Convince Hermann to go to the observatory after dinner_
  * _Propose_
  * **_Don’t lose the fucking ring_**



 

              It was written in Newton’s familiar scrawl and Hermann recognized his perchance for making lists when he was nervous. Hermann wiped at his eyes, trying to keep control of his emotions but as the sob broke out of his throat he knew it was a lost cause. He let them fall then, allowed himself to cry in the privacy of the storage closet surrounded by the life of a man he had expected to be living with. A man who had once thought of proposing to him.

              Hermann felt all the pain and doubts about what had made Newton leave. He didn’t hear the footsteps this time and startled when he heard the quiet knock on the door. He looked up to find Tendo stepping around the boxes looking at him sadly before sinking down besides him. Hermann handed him the note now stained with tears; showed him the ring.

              “Brother, you can’t do this to yourself. How about I finish up here?” Tendo hugged him close as he gave a quiet sigh but Hermann shook his head. He wanted to finish this, he wanted to be the one to pack up these things. But rather than send them off to Newton through the mail he would deliver them himself. He needed some answers if he was ever going to move past it.

 

              “You know, I really appreciate you doing this Hermann but you honestly should have just sent them to me. You didn’t have to bring them and I’m really pressed for time here. We have deadlines coming out of our asses and Ms. Shao isn’t fond of people wasting her time.” Newton glanced as his watch as he met Hermann in the small conference room he’d been shuffled into when he’d shown up. He had thought of taking the box with the small handful of notebooks in it to Newton’s apartment but he dreaded meeting this Alice he talked about. So, he’d come by Shao industries instead and Newton had immediately tucked him away in a room out of sight as though he was embarrassed by his presence.

              “I was honestly hoping we’d have some time to talk, Newt. You had quite a few items left from the lab and wanted to be certain-“

              “Just toss it all, Hermann, it’s junk. Trinkets I kept around to make myself feel better before I got my due, ya know? You know I always have time for you but right now just isn’t a great time. Maybe some other time, yeah?” Newton took the box from him and picked at the notebooks a little to get a peek at what was scribbled inside them. Hermann clenched his left hand into a fist, felt the press of the ring that was still on his finger; the metal hot as though it was alive. “Thanks again, Hermann. You can show yourself out, right?” Newton was already turning away, giving him one of those smiles that seemed too wide and didn’t reach his eyes.

              “I found the ring, Newton.” Hermann hadn’t meant it to come out just like that. Took a breath to steel himself as Newton froze and then slowly turned to look at him with narrowed eyes.

              “I-I’m sorry? What? What ring?” Newton licked at his lips as he gave a light shake of his head looking confused. It was a fake confusion though, Hermann could see it and it emboldened him.

              “What was it? What did I do that made you change your mind? I…I don’t…I need to know why.” Hermann stepped a little closer as Newton dropped his eyes to the floor and for the first time in all those months he could see some vulnerability there.

              “It wasn’t you, Hermann-“

              “Tch, don’t give me a fucking line, Newton. Just tell me what made you decide you didn’t want to be with me after so long.” Hermann felt his anger rear up as he grabbed the box from Newton’s hands to set on the table to there was no barrier between them. Newton gave him a sharp look for a moment but then his expression softened as he sighed and leaned a hip against the table as though it was too difficult to stand without support suddenly.

              “It’s not a line, Hermann. You didn’t do anything, you were perfect…as always. It’s just…I…after the…” Newton seemed to stumble over his words and he gave a sound of pure irritation. Hermann stepped a little closer again, reached out to take Newton’s hand with his letting the ring be visible and obvious. Newton ran his thumb over the band, refused to meet his eyes as they sat for a long drawn out silence before Newton took a breath and gave Hermann a distant smile once more. “It wasn’t you it’s just…my head…I couldn’t get my head wrapped around it. And it was better to give up on it then to drag it out and make it even worse.”

              “Newt…” They both paused as Newton’s phone chimed and he straightened up quickly and checked it. Hermann frowned feeling less settled than he had been when he’d arrived. The emotion shifted out of Newton almost instantly, he was back to that distant facsimile of himself as he gave Hermann a smile too full of teeth as he tucked the phone away and grabbed the box.

              “Duty calls. Anyway, don’t worry about it all, Hermann, it’s in the past. You should probably just…throw it out and forget about it. Hell, sell it…get yourself something nice. I’ll see you later.” Newton was gone before Hermann was able to process it all; he’d rushed out just as he had months ago and left Hermann standing with even more questions. He swallowed roughly as he did his best to compose himself, to rid himself of any outward expression of his emotions. He paused as he looked down at the ring, stared at it for a long moment before slipping it off his finger.

              He lingered for a moment as he held it over the empty trash bin near the door. Tried to will himself to just let it go and leave it behind like Newton had suggested. In the end he carefully tucked it into his pocket; holding on to it for a while longer.


End file.
